Honorary citizenship for Yunus from City of Bologna

Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus has just concluded a 5 day visit to Italy where he was attending several high level events within the framework of the Milan Expo 2015.

He was a keynote speaker at the Social Enterprise World Forum that took place in Milan from the 1st to the 3rd of July. The Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) is an international event where social enterprises all over the world to come together and discuss policy and practice, to learn from one another and to network. Over 1,000 delegates from all over the globe are set to descend on the Social Enterprise World Forum organized by the ACRA–CCS foundation of Italy and Social Enterprise UK.Professor Yunus participated in a panel discussion with Mr. Maurizio Martina. Italian Minister of Agricultural, Food and Forestry on ways to address global hunger together with Hon Giovanni Melandri former Minister of sports of Italy and President of Human Foundation, Emma Bonino, former foreign minister of Italy and leading Woman activist of Europe. They discussed possible ways to respond to global hunger.

Professor Yunus addressed an event organized by Cariplo Foundation the foundation of largest Italian bank and met separately with is Chairperson Mr Giuseppe Guzzetti to discussion creation of a Social Business Fund which will focus on youth unemployment.

On 7th July Professor Yunus delivered keynote speech in a program titled “The other Half of the Planet-Women’s Weeks” at the Expo Milano 2015. In the program Professor Yunus said “Women’s performance is the best when they have the same opportunities.” Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni also spoke at the conference alongside Professor Yunus.

Professor Yunus also addressed as keynote speaker a special forum organized by LetiziaMoratti, former Mayor of Milan on the subject of Women in Business. Professor Yunus also addressed a conference organized by France based social business fund Danone Communities.

Professor Yunus’s visit to Italy culminated with a grand ceremony on July 8 to confer the honorary citizenship of the city of Bologna on Professsr Yunus.

Mayor of Bologna VirginioMerola conferred this honorary citizenship of the City of Bologna, in an elaborate ceremony at the City Hall participated by the Speaker of the Italian Parliament Ms Laura Boldrini who flew in from Rome to participate in the ceremony, and attended by Former Prime Minister of Italy Mr Romano Prodi and his wife, President of the City Council MsSimonaLembi, and over 350 elite of the city. MsBoldrini was the main speaker in the ceremony who delivered a special speech eulogising the accomplishments of Professor Yunus and their relevance to Italy and the rest of the world.

The event took place at Bologna’s City Hall on July 8, 2015 in Bologna, Italy. Around 350 distinguished guests participated in the event. A Tagore song presented by Bangladeshi community made the ceremony more attractive to the Italian participants.

Earlier in the week, Professor Yunus joined in a special train journey on July 4 from north of Italy to Naples in the south of Italy. During the train journey Yunus conducted intensive discussion on the role of youth to 50 Italian youth, who joined the journey to participate in the conversation with Yunus. In Naples Yunus visited Scampia, a nearbourhood of 100,000 people with 70 percent youth unemployment and proliferation drug and violence. Yunus ave an outline to leaders of the community how to overcome their problems.

Caption: City Council of Bologna, the city in the north of Italy, which prides itself to be the home of the oldest University in the Western world, passed a resolution to confer Honorary Citizenship to Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus.

Caption:From left to right Mayor of Bologna VirginioMerola, Speaker of the Italian Parliament Ms Laura Boldrini, Professor Muhammad Yunus and Former Prime Minister Romano Prodi at the honorary citizenship conferring ceremony of the City of Bologna on July 8, 2015 in Bologna, Italy. – Yunus Centre press release